Do the Eagles Need TE Zach Ertz?

In nine years with the Philadelphia Eagles, free agent tight end Zach Ertz hauled in 579 passes for 6,267 yards and scored 38 touchdowns. He last played for Philadelphia in 2021.

Now there are rumors that the Eagles and the 35-year-old veteran may be planning a reunion on the gridiron. Does this idea make sense?

In December of 2025 as a member of the Washington Commanders, Ertz tore his ACL on a brutal low hit. Given his age, there was speculation it was a career ending shot. However, Ertz was cleared to resume football activities this past August.

Meanwhile, the Eagles retained 31-year-old veteran tight end Dallas Goedert in the offseason. They also drafted his possible heir apparent in the second round in Vanderbilt standout Eli Stowers. However, Stowers was placed on injured reserve Saturday where he will miss at least the first four weeks with quad and hamstring injuries.

The Eagles also have veteran tight end Johnny Mundt, who they signed back in March, and E.J. Jenkins on the active roster. Mundt is primarily a blocking tight end and Jenkins only has one career reception. If healthy, Ertz would be a far better receiving option than both Mundt and Jenkins.

With an active roster spot open because of Stowers’ injury problems, the Eagles elected to handle the situation in-house. The same day Stowers was placed on IR, Philadelphia elevated wide receiver Britain Covey from the practice squad to the active roster. So where does that leave Ertz?

It appears the Eagles would only resort to signing Ertz in a move of desperation. This may be disappointing news to Philadelphia fans as Ertz is only 10 catches behind Harold Carmichael as the franchise’s all-time receptions leader. Many fans may want to see him break the franchise record, but sometimes it is a tight numbers crunch to fill out a 53-man active roster.

Right now, the numbers are not working in Ertz’s favor, and it does not look like the Eagles need him. If he is going to stage an NFL comeback this season, it looks like a strong bet that comeback will be with another team.